Kamrup district
Kamrup district ( ) is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India, named after Kamarupa, a name by which Assam was previously known in ancient times. The district, however, is now a small western part of Assam, with a distinctive native Kamrupi culture and dialect (both known as Kamrupi). The distinctive dialect etc. are, however, shared with the present administrative districts of Nalbari and Barpeta, these districts being part of an un-divided Kamrup before the 1980s. History The history of Kamarup dates back to 3 A.D under Kamarupa Kingdom and later a district of British India, in the Brahmaputra valley division of Eastern Bengal and Assam. The headquarters was at Guwahati. In the immediate neighbourhood of the Brahmaputra the land is low, and exposed to annual inundation. In this marshy tract reeds and canes flourish luxuriantly, and the only cultivation is that of rice. At a comparatively short distance from the river banks the ground begins to rise in undulating knolls towards the mountains of Bhutan on the north, and towards the Khasi hills on the south. The hills south of the Brahmaputra in some parts reach the height of 800 ft. The Brahmaputra, which divides the district into two nearly equal portions, is navigable by river steamers throughout the year, and receives several tributaries navigable by large native boats in the rainy season. The chief of these are the Manas, Chaul Khoya and Barnadi on the north, and the Kulsi and Dibru on the south bank. There is a government forest preserve in the district and also a plantation where seedlings of teak, sal, sissu, sum, and nahor are reared, and experiments are being made with the caoutchouc tree. The population is entirely rural, the only major town being Guwahati. The temples of Hajo and Kamakhya attract many pilgrims from all quarters. The people of Kamrup also donated a sacred Arya Avalokitesvara statue to Stakna Monastery in Ladakh. The staple crop of the district is rice, of which there are three crops. The indigenous manufactures are confined to the weaving of silk and cotton cloths for home use, and to the making of brass cups and plates. The cultivation and manufacture of tea by European capital is not very prosperous. The chief exports are rice, oilseeds, timber and cotton; the imports are fine rice, salt, piece goods, sugar, betelnuts, coconuts and hardware. A section of the Assam-Bengal railway starts from Guwahati, and a branch of the Eastern Bengal railway has recently been opened to the opposite bank of the river. A metalled road runs due south from Guwahati to Shillong. During British rule, this settlement had been one of the peasant uprising center against Britishers.Armed peasants vowed to through British rule but eventually suppressed by British administration with iron fist.Social science history, Volume 10, Issue 1, Pages 1-96 Recent Reorganisation Kamrup district has been steadily decreasing in size for decades. In 1983 Barpeta district was split from Kamrup. Nalbari district was then similarly split off on 14 August 1985. On 3 February 2003 Kamrup Metropolitan district was formed to cover the urban core of the district, and 1 June 2004 saw the formation of Baksa district which was formed from parts of three districts, including Kamrup. Geography occupies an area of , comparatively equivalent to Australia's Kangaroo Island. Demographics According to the 2011 census has a population of 1,517,202 , roughly equal to the nation of Gabon or the US state of Hawaii. This gives it a ranking of 327th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 15.67 %. Kamrup has a sex ratio of 946 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 72.81 %. Languages Languages used in the district include Amri, a Tibeto-Burman language related with Karbi, with 125 000 speakers; and A'Tong, also Tibeto-Burman, spoken by 10 000 people in Bangladesh, the Garo Hills, and southern Kamrup. Flora and fauna In 1989 Kamrup district became home to the Diparbeel Wildlife Sanctuary, which has an area of . References * External links * District Administration website Note: Kamrup Metropolitan district is completely surrounded by Kamrup district. Category:Districts of Assam Category:Kamrup district Category:Minority Concentrated Districts in India